About Us

The history of newspapers in Carter County, Tennessee can be traced back to April 21, 1838, and the only copy of the Elizabethton Republican ever published. The Mountaineer appeared 40 years later, and was published until 1908. Over the years, other publications made short goes of it — the Tennessee Equity from 1905 to 1910, Carter County Banner from 1914 to 1926, Elizabethton News from 1926 to 1938 and the Carter County Progress from 1960 to 1961. But when Frank Lovette founded the Elizabethton Star in 1926, he created what would be the county’s longest-running newspaper. During its formative years, the Star was owned and managed by several different companies, but in 1955 Frank Robinson became publisher and, eventually, the owner. The Robinson family’s ownership gave the community a stable, innovative newspaper under continuous ownership for nearly 60 years. During that time, publishers included Robinson; his son, the late Charlie Robinson; his grandson, Nathan Goodwin; and Mark A. Stevens. In 2013, under Stevens’ leadership, the Star won multiple awards in the Associated Press Managing Editor Awards, the Tennessee Press Association Ideas Advertising Awards and the Tennessee Press Association Journalism Awards, including TPA’s most coveted honor, the General Excellence Award – it’s first – recognizing the Star as the best daily newspaper in its class. For the second year in a row, the Star won a first-place award for Best Website as well as 22 other awards – a record for the newspaper. In 2013, the Robinson family began negotiations with Boone Newspapers, Inc.Jim Boone, the company’s CEO, had known Robinson, who died in 2011, for many years and even considered him a mentor. Boone Newspapers Inc. purchased the paper and officially took ownership Jan. 1, 2014. In March of that year, Lynn J. Richardson was named publisher.

Goals
The Elizabethton Star and its employees strive to:
• Produce the best daily newspaper in Northeast Tennessee and Tennessee.
• Offer hyperlocal news coverage of events throughout Carter County and the Northeast Tennessee region.
• Report news accurately and fairly, giving a voice to the people through its stories and letters to the editor
• Take an active leadership role in our community, promoting the area’s unique history and heritage that was pivotal to our nation’s independence.
• Treat readers and advertisers with respect.

Circulation
The Elizabethton Star’s award-winning print edition is published Tuesday through Friday along with an early-bird Sunday edition which is published and delivered on Saturday. It is widely available throughout Carter County and the surrounding areas.

Internet presence
The Elizabethton Star is home to breaking news 24/7 online at elizabethton.com. One of the first newspapers to see the value and potential of the Internet for news-
gathering, the Star was an early leader on the web. The Star also offers an e-edition of the print edition, which includes an e-exclusive Monday edition.

Recognitions and Experience
The Elizabethton Star has won dozens of awards for advertising and journalism excellence including Tennessee Press Association’s General Excellence Award. Our news team is made up of veteran editors and experienced reporters who excel as journalists of the highest caliber. All totaled, the staff of the Elizabethton Star offers more than half a century of combined experience in the newspaper industry.

Community involvement
The Star leads by example in its community and numerous staff members are actively involved with a variety of local civic, business and philanthropic organizations.The Star is committed to giving back to the community and supports a number of non-profit fundraising endeavors throughout the year.